Human After All
by Crimson Fade
Summary: They may be half-shinigami, half-hollow, but living in the human world makes them surprisingly... human. A set of Vizard drabbles featuring a little bit of everything.
1. Discovering Basketball

**Yeah. New drabbles centering on the Vizards. Since they showed up in the anime I've been rather fixated on them. These drabbles will be more everyday life/humor-focused than the other ones I wrote. This first one came to me while I was shooting hoops in summer school :/**

**Also, I am going on vacation tomorrow for four weeks and internet access will be limited. These drabbles will be on hiatus until August, but expect a steady update when I return. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

* * *

Love had been wandering carelessly around town; as he neared the end of a block, he heard elated shouts and cheering. Turning the corner, he spotted a large group of men gathered in some kind of court. They were passing around a brown ball, bouncing it on the ground and throwing it through different hoops placed on opposite ends of the court. The dark Vizard neared the fence, carefully observing the game. One of the players noticed his tall figure and walked over to greet him.

"Yo," the man said. "Wanna play?"

Love looked back between the man who approached him and the game being played. "I've never played before."

The man looked the ex-Shinigami up and down. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

He smirked. "It's easy. You just gotta get the ball through the hoop on the opposite end and stop the other team from doing the same."

Love nodded after watching another moment. "Looks easy enough."

The other man grinned. "You game?"

Love returned the man's grin. "Sure thing."


	2. A Record Player

**I'm back! I don't know how frequently these will be updated, but they will be updated! Sorry for the wait you guys. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

* * *

Shinji slammed the door closed with his foot, carrying a large heavy box. He had a wide satisfied grin plastered on his face, hugging the box close to his chest.

"What'cha got there?" Rose asked curiously as he helped Shinji set the box down carefully on the floor.

"A record player!"

Rose's mouth fell open. "How- where did you find it?"

Shinji shrugged. "Some pawn shop a few streets east from here."

"… how did you pay for it?"

The de facto leader frowned at the suspicion in the other blonde Vizard's voice.

"With the money I got from that job I had. S'not like I'm about ta go around steal stuff, ya know."

"You stole Lisa's magazines before."

"… that's totally different."


	3. Stray Dog

**Don't be surprised if there's a lot of Kensei and Mashiro stuff in here. I know I had a request for more Lisa, and I'm working on that, so... yeah.**

* * *

"Kenseeeeeiiiii, can we keep him?"

Kensei's right eyebrow twitched. Mashiro was currently holding a small, scruffy black dog to her chest, looking at Kensei with large, pleading eyes.

"No." Kensei looked away from Mashiro's face and tried to focus on the dark, matted fur of the dog and the texture of its tongue as it licked Mashiro's cheek.

"Please, Kensei? I'll take care of him myself! I'll feed and clean him and take him for walks and everything!"

Kensei rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeease? Please please please please…"

"You idiot, no one else is going to want a dog around our place! We barely manage to feed ourselves as it is."

Mashiro paused in her whining. She stuck out her tongue, but Kensei saw the bitter disappointment in her eyes.

He looked away again.


	4. Porn Service

_I should start a library service._ Lisa thinks exasperatedly. _No. A rental service. That way I can make money off of these losers._ She sets one of her magazines down next to Love, who mutters a thanks before returning to his _Jump_ volume.

She then walked over to Shinji, who was lying on the couch, reading something she couldn't recognize.

"Oi," she called out to grab his attention. He looked up.

"What?" he responded tiredly, closing his book.

Lisa held up two magazines. "You need one?"

Shinji looked at the two items, a smirk slowly spreading on his as he stood up. "Now, Lisa, darling, why would I need material like that when I have you to- oomph!" The blonde fell to the ground as a foot connected with his face.

"Pick. One."

"N… no thanks."

* * *

**I've thinking of writing some Shinji/Lisa, I just haven't had any interesting ideas. **


	5. The Art of Meditation

**Hi again. I'm starting to run out of ideas, so if some of my readers/reviewers would like to give me a prompt/idea/situation/character for me to write, feel free to do so. **

**Reviews and requests of any kind are always received with love.**

* * *

Hacchi sat in a half-meditative silence, legs crossed, eyes closed, and mind at peace.

That is, until-

"Hacchi, what'cha doing?" Mashiro's voice crooned into his ear.

"I'm meditating," he replied quietly.

"Can I do it too?" the green-haired Vizard asked, leaning in.

"Yes. But you must sit in complete silence."

Mashiro pursed her lips, putting a finger to her chin. "Hmmmm… okay!"

Without further invitation she took a seat next to Hacchi, glancing at him to imitate his position.

"Like this?"

Hacchi opened one eye to look at her. "Yes."

"Yay!"

0-0-0-0-

Kensei was getting worried. He hadn't heard his former lieutenant's voice or seen her for about an hour now. Around this time, she was usually pestering him for a snack or some form of entertainment. He could only conclude that something terrible must have happened to prevent her from carrying out this routine.

His jaw dropped when he found her sitting next to Hacchi, utterly still and quiet.

"Ma-Mashiro! What are you doing?"

"Sh! You can't talk while we're meditating, meanie Kensei!"

Hacchi couldn't help but smile as he listened to Kensei sputter at Mashiro's declaration.


	6. Shopping

Hiyori huffed. "Are you almost DONE?" she yelled in the direction of the dressing rooms.

"No!" came Lisa's curt reply. "Go home if you want."

The short blonde Vizard huffed angrily again, but didn't make an effort to leave.

"How's this?" Lisa came out, sporting a black mini-skirt and pale blue blouse.

Hiyori glared at her and the outfit. "The skirt's too short."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "It is not." She turned to look into a mirror. "I don't like this color."

Hiyori's eyes widened. They were going to be in here all night, weren't they?

"You're worse than Shinji when he shops," she spat at Lisa who was about to disappear into the dressing stall again.

"Am not!"

"Are too! Hurry up and buy your frickin' outfit! Let's GO!"

Lisa sighed. "Maybe I should've brought Shinji with me after all."


	7. Cereal

**Remember, I'm still taking prompts and requests! I REALLY need prompts, though.**

* * *

"It's called cereal."

All 8 Vizards stared at the box currently sitting on their scratched-up kitchen table.

"What does it do?" asked Mashiro.

"Tch, idiot, you're supposed to eat it," Kensei answered, brow twitching.

"Then why isn't anyone eating it?" his ex-lieutenant retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Maybe we're not hungry," Hiyori grumbled as an answer, glaring at the box of cereal as though it had offended her.

"Why are you looking at it like that?" asked Love. "It's food!" He picked up the box to look at its contents. "It's full of good- oh." He raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot of sugar for breakfast food."

"Let me see!" said Rose, grabbing the box out of Love's hands. "Oh my. Are you trying to poison us, Shinji?"

The accused Vizard's eyes widened as everyone looked at him. "Me? I was trying ta feed us!"

"We can't live off of junk food!" Love exclaimed rather mournfully.

"Why doesn't someone else do the grocery shopping from now on then, huh? I don't even know why I'm the one doing it!"

"It's because I told you to, dumbass!" Hiyori interjected.

Shinji winced, expecting a slap in the face. When none came, he looked relieved, until Hiyori's foot met with his crotch with full force.

"Buy us better food, baldy!"


	8. For the Love of Music

**Here's a little implied Rose/Love. I actually don't quite feel comfortable with that couple (even though they're like, canon) but still. **

**Reviews are always loved.**

**I'm still taking requests and prompts!  
**

* * *

Love rubbed his eyes tiredly as he ascended the stairs up to the old warehouse. His training had finished late, and he was left exhausted and frustrated.

His ears twitched as music erupted out of the warehouse's regular silence. He recognized the sound of a guitar. It was playing something slow and mellow; not a particular song he knew, but he found the melody pleasant nonetheless.

But where was it coming from? He didn't know anyone who knew how to play a guitar. There couldn't possibly be a human in here. Unless…

As he reached the ground level, he was slightly surprised to see Rose sitting on one of their crooked chairs, a guitar in his lap. His violet gaze was focused intently on the strings, and he had not noticed Love enter the room.

Love watched him play the guitar for almost five minutes unnoticed, smiling slightly. It was not until Rose struck an off-key note, cursed, and looked up that he realized he was not alone.

"Oh," Rose said upon seeing Love standing there.

"Where did you get that guitar?" Love asked after a moment.

"I bought it a little while after Shinji bought his record player."

"It's… it's nice."

Rose smiled at him. "Thanks."

"I meant… what you were playing."

Rose looked down at his guitar, running a thin finger along the strings. "I'm still practicing."

"Yeah, well… it was good."

There was another silence as Rose continued to look at his guitar and Love continued to look at Rose. His heart ached a little at the elegance that Rose portrayed holding his guitar, holding the ability to evoke emotions by song. He didn't think he could ever create something as beautiful.

He supposed he'd always have Rose to do it for him.


	9. Hollow

**Crap, I should be doing my AP Psych homework. **

**This one's a short one. It just popped into my head. **

**Hey, hey guys! Gimme prompts and reviews! Or else you get more crap like this!**

* * *

He sat up straight, heart pounding wildly in his throat. His hand moved to grope his chest and stomach. He reached up to feel his face. Then he grabbed for his zanpakuto, unsheathing it to gaze into its reflective surface. The whites of his eyes were discernable in the dim light on the blade. Putting the sword aside, he sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"Go back to sleep, Shinji," a voice that sounded like Kensei ordered sleepily from across the room. He didn't bother telling Hirako he was awake for the exact same reason.


	10. Social Services

**Ideas, guys, ideas! Give to me! It can be a random word, phrase, or prompt, just give them to me!**

**Also, I've already had one request for Ichigo's appearance in these. I didn't plan to include him because to me, these take place before the storyline, but you know, they might as well be current, and Ichigo may come up if requested. (For some reason, I don't consider him a Vizard. I'm not sure why)**

**Review?  
**

* * *

Hiyori came running into warehouse as if an army of monsters were following her. Slamming the door behind her, she panted, looking around at the apparently empty warehouse.

"Wha's the matter, Hiyori?" Shinji asked, head popping up over the back of the couch.

"They… they tried to… _take me_," she gasped, still breathing fast.

Shinji blinked. "Who?"

"I… I don't know! They… asked me why I… wasn't in school, so I told them to get lost, and then they asked me… how old I was, and I told them to go to hell, and then one of them grabbed my arm!" Hiyori took another few gulps of air. "They said they were going to take me to some social services-crap, and so then I twisted the guy's arm and ran for it!"

Shinji stared at her for a full minute before breaking into laughter. Hiyori's expression immediately turned from traumatized to pissed.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

The other Vizard's smirk was obnoxiously wide as he answered. "Little girls like ya should be in school, that's why it's funny!"

"… Little girls?"

Shinji's laughter died as he realized his mistake too late. He didn't have time to apologize as a foot crashed into his face.


	11. Kill it!

**Ohaithere. Sorry I was gone so long; I had temporarily lost my fanfic groove there. Plus, my computer got a virus, so then I lost all of the fics I was working on because the CD I transfered them to was corrupt. *sigh* **

**Anyway. Here's another chapter. Remember, I'm always taking prompts and ideas because I need them. I might not use them right away, but I will use them. **

**Thanks to all my reviewers so far; I hope to keep them coming!**

* * *

A shriek reverberated through the warehouse. Both Shinji and Love glanced up from the manga they were reading, and Rose looked up from his guitar with a sigh.

"What the hell was that?"

Suddenly Mashiro burst out of one of the doors. "Kenseeeeiii!" she shouted. "Kensei! Where's Kensei?"

"He's out, Mashiro," Love said calmly. "What do you need?"

Her eyes filled with water. "There's a… a…" her lips trembled, restricting her words to mere mumbles.

"A what?"

The green-haired vizard burst into tears. Love brought is palm to his forehead, and Shinji and Rose sighed in exasperation behind him.

"Help her, O faithful leader," Rose said with a small smirk on his face, looking at Shinji. The so-called leader's eyes widened, pointing questioningly at himself. Rose responded by shoving him towards Mashiro.

Shinji stumbled, catching himself, and then walked over to Mashiro.

"Mashiro," he tried to say in his nicest voice possible, minus his eerie grin. "Ya gotta tell us what's wrong."

Mashiro sniffed. "There's… a big spider in my room," she demonstrated with her arms, stretching them as far as humanly possible (and perhaps a little farther) "and I was hoping Kensei could kill it for me!"

Shinji blinked. "A spider, eh? Why can't ya kill it yourself?"

Her distraught eyes watered again. "I can't."

The blonde vizard sighed again, rubbing his eyes. "Love, go kill the frickin' spider."

"Me? Why do I have to do it?"

"Because you're the tallest," Shinji replied in a strained voice.

"No I'm not! Hacchi is!" Love argued, setting his magazine aside with an irritated grunt.

"Well, Hacchi isn't here right now, _is he_?"

Love rolled his eyes. "Alright Mashiro. Show me where the spider is."

"Yay!"


	12. Teasing

**Here's a little, teeny tiny implied Kensei/Lisa. You know, I actually like this pairing. I may do a separate one-shot with these two. **

**Thanks again for the reviews; keep them coming!**

* * *

Lisa hadn't meant to provoke Kensei when she slowly and deliberately ate her cherry-flavored sucker in front of him. Not really.

Well, maybe a little.

What she hadn't expected was for him to confront her right on the spot. He had leaned over her, grasping her chin rather painfully. His gaze was intense, frustrated. For a brief, wild, fantastic moment, Lisa thought he was going to kiss her. But that wouldn't be like Kensei. It couldn't possibly be.

He leaned in, agitation leaking off of him like sweat. "Stop it," he had whispered in her ear.

She didn't eat suckers in front of him again after that.


	13. Vanity

**This one was sitting in my notebook for quite a while. *loves Shinji a little too much* **

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! I always hope to see more; they fill my heart with warm fuzzies!**

* * *

He stood back and observed his reflection. Cocking his head, he idly ran his tongue along his teeth, the brand new tongue ring making satisfying clicking noises.

Stepping toward the mirror, he leaned in to scrutinize his hair, fingering the ends of his bangs and combing lightly through his hair with his fingers (he had finally found a good conditioner for it). He tilted his head to see how it fell against his jaw.

Humming in satisfaction as he stepped back, he turned to the box that carried his ties. He was feeling… classic, today. A white shirt, black tie, and black slacks. However, he scowled when he found that his white shirt still had a stain from when Hiyori had thrown her lunch (that he had so graciously made for her) at him. It would probably have to be dry-cleaned, he mused with slight dismay.

He sighed. Alright. The orange shirt it is, then.


	14. Looking and Acting Strange

**I had a request for Hacchi, so this is what I came up with... **

**Reviews, comments, and requests are always welcome!**

* * *

Hacchi didn't really understand why it was him who accompanied Mashiro when it came to lunch errands. With his pink hair and abnormally proportioned body, he was the most conspicuous of the Vizards.

Then again, walking along next to a vibrantly energized, green-haired young woman who looked like something straight out of an outdated Sci-Fi movie, he probably looked like a regular person. The more approachable one of the pair, at any rate.

The fact that Mashiro was the one who was more distraught at the strange looks they received also helped; he tended to be the one that reassured her the most. "It doesn't matter what others think of us," he would often remind Mashiro "so long as we what we think of ourselves stays positive."


	15. Discovering Cars

**Hi again. This one's from a request for Kensei teaching Mashiro something about the real world. So then I was thinking, Well, what would the Human World have that Soul Society wouldn't? So this is what I got. **

**Reviews and requests= me loving you forever and ever! **

* * *

Kensei hated grocery-shopping duties with Mashiro. He hated how she insisted that she come with him so that he buys "the right things". He also hated how she was distracted by the stupidest things while walking to the grocery store.

"Kensei! Kensei! What is that?" she asked, pointing to what looked like a large metal box with windows on wheels.

"That's a car, Mashiro. They're just getting popular in this area," Kensei replied in a monotonous tone.

"How come we didn't have them in Soul Society?"

His brow furrowed at the mention of the place. "I dunno, Mashiro. They don't need cars."

"But it makes things so much easier! Look! They just sit there while the car moves!"

"You have to operate the car. It doesn't just drive by itself, idiot."

Mashiro's eyes widened. "Can you teach meeeee, Kensei?"

They grey-haired Vizard began to grind his teeth in agitation. "No, Mashiro."


	16. Fixing the Roof

**Hi everyone. I'm still alive. School is strangling me, so these drabbles won't be updated quite so often as I'd like. I'm working on the requests I received, I promise! I just spewed this out because it was raining tonight.**

**I don't own Bleach or its characters. Reviews are always lovely. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far; your support makes me so much happier.**

* * *

Lightning stained the clouds, illuminating the damp walls of the warehouse and the rain that leaked from the high ceiling, leaving a large puddle in the middle of their adapted living room.

"Oi! Baka Shinji!" a very pissed-off Hiyori yelled out. "There's water leaking into our house!"

The addressed Vizard looked at her. "What d'ya want me to do about it? I ain't a repairman."

"I don't care! Make it go away!"

"Why don't ya fix it yerself if it's bothering ya that much?"

"Because I told you to do it!"

"So what? That doesn't mean I have t- AAAAARGH!"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Rose wandered into the living room, guitar in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.

"Ah, the water stopped leaking!" he noted with a smile as he sat down on the couch next to Hiyori.

"Hey, has anyone seen Shinji?" Kensei yelled from their make-shift kitchen. "It's his turn to do the dishes."

"Nope, haven't seen him," Hiyori replied off-handedly, pretending to inspect her nails.

The side door barged open just as a loud clap of thunder exploded above their home. Shinji walked in, hair and clothes dripping, looking straight ahead, his face an expression of resignation and silent suffering. Wordlessly, he stomped off to his quarters, leaving wet footprints in his wake.

"Baka Shinji, there's water on the floor again!"


	17. Peeking

**In honor of the latest chapter, I have come out with this. And because Shinji/Lisa was requested anyway. Here it is! Why do the Vizards have a hot spring in their basement? Because they do! *shifty eyes***

**I don't own Bleach. **

**Did you know reviews feed my soul?**

* * *

Lisa peeked carefully over a boulder as Shinji clambered out of the hot spring in their underground training area. She had a full view of what was presented to her, and she shamelessly scanned his body with scrutinizing eyes, which narrowed as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

_Damn_, she thought as she hungrily observed the water droplets gliding down his lean stomach. Her gaze followed him to the pile of clothing sitting on a nearby rock.

He stopped in front of them, standing still for a moment. Her brows furrowed. What was he doing now?

"Enjoyin' the view, darling?" his voice called out. Although his back was mostly turned toward her, Lisa could _feel_ the smirk growing on his face. She immediately ducked down, not responding to his bait.

He could wait.


	18. Discovering Playstation

**I expected to update more often than this, but I find that I haven't had much time. Damn school.**

**Anyway. I'm running out of ideas. I know I have some requests for some couple-related drabbles, but I'm trying to space those out. Having a Shinji/Hiyori drabble right after a Shinji/Lisa drabble seems kind of weird. So yeah.**

**I don't own Bleach. Or Playstation. But if you don't review, I will own your souls. (Or... maybe not.)**

* * *

"Kenseeeeeeiiiiiii!" Mashiro's shrill voice rang out. The silver-haired ex-captain visibly twitched, closing his eyes to wait for the inevitable.

His former lieutenant pounced on him. "Kensei! I want to buy a Playstation! Kensei! Let's buy a Playstation!"

He looked towards the other Vizards for help. Love and Shinji had their heads tilted, contemplating her words.

"I… think we should get a Playstation," Love finally offered after another minute of silence.

Kensei scoffed. "You're paying for it, then."

"Well, if we all chip in a bit, we can share it—"

"Yay!"

Kensei buried his face in his palm as the green-haired Vizard hopped around him with joy.

~2 weeks Later~

"HA! I win again!"

Shinji cracked the controller against his head as Love threw his hands up.

"Fuck this game. Let's play somethin' else."

Love snickered at the disgruntled Blonde. "You're just jealous because you lost three times in a row."

Shinji glared at his opponent. "I beat ya the first time, though."

The other Vizard chuckled. "That was the one time."

Shinji growled slightly as he got up to thrust another disk into the console. "I'm gonna beat ya this time."

Love grinned. "Bring it on."

A few yards behind them, Mashiro watched with wide eyes. "You guys, I haven't had a turn yet!"


	19. Movie Date

**Sorry that my updates have been kind of slow! I've been rather busy. Which, admittedly, is unusual for me. But anyway. **

**Here's a... Shinji/Hiyori thing. Not really. But this is as good as it's gonna get, because I can't stand that pairing. This _almost_ turned into a one-shot that I was gonna publish on its own, though. But I have a Shinji/Lisa planned for that.  
**

**I don't own Bleach. Reviews would be awesome, of course.**

* * *

Soft snores erupted in the stony silence of the warehouse, originating from the Vizards' old, yellow couch in the center of their living room. Soft blonde bangs fluttered in the breeze of Hirako Shinji's breath as he lay sprawled on the lumpy cushions, the corners of his mouth turned up as he was lost in another lewd dream. All was peaceful.

That is, until Sarugaki Hiyori stomped into the room, a crumpled newspaper ad clenched in her hand.

"Oi! Baldy! WAKE UP!" A scrawny foot collided with the side of Shinji's abdomen, and the assaulted Vizard woke with a startled yelp, crashing to the floor.

"Ugh, Hiyori…" Shinji groaned, curling up on the ground. "Why'dya have to wake me up like that?"

"I wanna go see a movie," the younger Vizard replied, unperturbed by her comrade's state of pain.

Shinji peered up at her. He slowly sat up to a sitting position, stretching his arms.

"What movie?"

Hiyori un-crumpled the newspaper in her hand and held it out to him. He stared at it.

"'An Affair to Remember'?" he read aloud. One thin eyebrow perked up. "That's… a romance movie."

"Yeah? So?"

Shinji gulped, deciding it was best not to question her choice further. "Why… why can't ya take Lisa or someone? This is a girl's thing."

Hiyori's eyes narrowed and she looked more menacing that usual, staring down at him as he sat cross-legged on the floor. Shinji noted his vulnerable position, and decided to cautiously stand up.

"I want you to go with me," Hiyori answered curtly, crossing her arms. Shinji stared back at her and sighed, deducing that it was either this or a handful of sandal-shaped bruises.

"Alright. I'll go with ya."

He almost sighed audibly with relief when he saw a slight smile tug on Hiyori's face, and grinned at the fact that for once, something he did made her smile.


	20. Cooking for a Family

**Haven't updated in FOREVER. I'm sorry. I'm in the middle of writing a research paper. As soon as the semester ends, I think these will start being updated again. Along with my Shinji/Aizen drabbles (I've totally neglected them...)**

**Reviews are awesome! Feel free to suggest a drabble, because the hardest part is coming up with an idea.**

* * *

"Kensei! What are you doing? You're cooking? What are you making? Is it sweets? Can I help make it? Can I try some? Can I…"

Kensei gritted his teeth, attempting to block out the words of the green-haired Vizard as he prepared dinner. When she clung to his arm, he shook her off; when she reached forward to dip a finger in the sauce, he swatted her away.

"You idiot, other people are gonna eat that!"

"So? They don't care, we're all family!"

Kensei frowned. "Is that what you call it?"

"Of course, dummy! We sleep together, eat together, play games together, and live together… isn't that a family?"

Kensei tried very hard not to listen again as he poured the sauce in the pan.

"You're like the mom, Kensei! You do all the cooking, and you take care of me, and…"

The sizzling of meat drowned out her next few words, but Kensei could still sense her mouth moving.

"… and Shinji would be the dad! Hacchi would be like a grandpa, and Love and Rose would be like an aunt or uncle, and Hiyori and Lisa would be…"

"Baka. Go play Playstation or something, and leave me alone!"

Mashiro stuck her tongue out. "Fine! Meanie Kensei!"

Kensei almost collapsed out of relief as she stomped away from him. He then almost had a heart attack as the frying pan caught fire.

"Dammit, Mashiro!"


	21. Nothing

Shinji was perfectly aware of the fact that, in all actuality, none of them really were who they used to be.

True, he still had his cocky grins, Hiyori her restless fists, and Kensei his no-nonsense attitude—but the fact was that it was _different_.

He saw all their faces as if through a foggy window—personalities slightly distorted, twisted, and hammered down to accommodate their current situation. Everything had turned bitter, although one could never really taste the difference; they still all talked, laughed, bantered and chattered the same way as they used to before something _hollow_ grew inside of them.

But really, Shinji thought, there was nothing left of who they were… only their masks.

* * *

**Oh my gosh, I actually updated this! Aren't you all so happy? **

**This is my response to the prompt "nothing." I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a humorous or serious take on it, but then this popped into my head, so... yeah.  
**

**I don't know if you could tell, but "their masks" don't refer to their hollow masks... **


	22. Trying to Bake

**These drabbles are slowly but surely dying... but I promise, I'm going to try and make it to 30 of them before I officially end them! **

**Reviews are loved, as usual~ Enjoy**

* * *

Shinji had tried. He really did. He even managed not to get any egg shells in the batter. He left them in the oven EXACTLY as long as the box had told him to.

But the chocolate chip cookies never came out right. They were never the warm, gooey, sweet goodness that Hachi managed to produce whenever he made them. Shinji wasn't sure if he was stirring the batter wrong, or if he was adding the ingredients in the wrong order, or if he wasn't using the right kind of spoon.

Maybe Hachi was using Kido. Yes, that must be it! Being the Kido master that he is, Hachi must have some spell or two up his sleeves for the perfect cookies.

Hachi chuckled when Shinji asked him the next day.

"All they need, my dear Shinji, is some tender loving care."

Shinji blinked.

"And that says teaspoons, not tablespoons."


	23. Mashiro and Hiyori

**Long time no see. Now that school's out, I have time to do things. So, uh, expect updates. A few of them. And if I spam your inbox about story updates (I'll be uploading other things, especially something for Shinji's birthday that was last week), then, uh, I'm sorry. XD**

* * *

"Hiyori~n!"

The addressed Vizard grunted from her place on the old yellow couch, squeezing her eyes shut to block out the noise.

"Hiyoriiiiii—!"

_Can't a girl ever get some rest in this place?_ Hiyori opened her eyes.

"Kensei's not here."

She listened to Mashiro giggle.

"I'm not looking for Kensei, silly! I'm looking for you!"

The petite Vizard scowled. This was unusual. Repressing a sigh, she sat up and looked at Mashiro. "What do you want?"

Mashiro tentatively held up a small rectangular box, on which closer inspection Hiyori identified as a movie case.

"Will you watch this with me~?"

Hiyori glared in the movie's general direction (she didn't have the heart to glare at Mashiro herself) and sighed. It was _The Lion King_. Hiyori knew how much Mashiro loved that movie, and she couldn't help but like it herself as well (not that she would ever tell anyone else that).

With some effort, she gave Mashiro her least menacing smile, and scooted over to make room for her on the couch.

* * *

**This is technically continued in the next chapter...**


	24. Disney Unites

**Yay, new chapter! I'm trying to make these longer, but it's not working very well. **

**Comments and suggestions are still always appreciated! I went back through the reviews to check for any requests that I still need to get to (amazingly there weren't a lot) so keep them coming!  
**

**I _almost_ put some ShiYori in this one. _Almost_.  
**

* * *

"Oi, what are ya doing?"

Hiyori turned from her spot next to Mashiro to glare at the intruder.

"Lucky for you the good part's over, Baldy!"

Shinji squinted at the screen in an attempt to recognize what they were watching. "Good part of what?"

"That's none of your damn business! Now go away!"

Shinji blinked. "I was just—"

"SHHHHH!" Mashiro flailed her arms at the two blondes for silence. Hiyori glared at Shinji once more before turning back to the movie.

Shinji rolled his eyes and sauntered over to the end of the couch, sitting down next to Hiyori, who spared him another sideways glare before going back to ignoring him.

"Oh, this is _The Lion King_, ain't it?"

"I thought she told you to shut up, dumbass!"

"Jeez, what a crone," Shinji breathed as quietly as he could while he made a face, but settled down to finish watching the movie with them, crossing his lanky legs and stretching his arms out on the back of their old couch.


	25. The Right Ice Cream

**Hi guys. Yeah, I said I was gonna start spamming you with updates, but that didn't work very well. I'm gonna try and get one more drabble in by Sunday, and then I won't be able to update until late July (probably). **

**I'm not sure if I got the description of Rocky Road right...**

**Reviews=Love  
**

* * *

Hachi whistled to himself as he entered the warehouse, carrying two bags of groceries in each of his hands. The moment the cold, damp air of the warehouse hit his face, Shinji was next to him, checking the bags the large man had brought in.

"Did ya find it? Did ya get it?"

"The ice cream you requested? Yes, my dear Shinji, it's in this bag right here?"

Shinji dove into the bag Hachi held up, and pulled out the carton of ice cream. His face scrunched up as he examined the label.

"What's… 'rocky road'?"

Hachi chuckled. "I believe it is a mixture of chocolate and vanilla, with marshmallow and chocolate chips mixed in. The store was out of cookie dough, so I though we'd try something new!"

"… I thought we were gonna get jus' cookie dough."

Hachi blinked. "Yes, well…"

Shinji cleared his throat. "No. Lemme say that again. _Hiyori_ said we were gonna get jus' cookie dough."

He met Hachi's eyes, and Hachi understood immediately.

"I'm very sorry, Shinji. I'll have the first-aid kit ready."


	26. Conditioner

**Omg, finallly an update DX**

**Here is your Rose/Lisa. But I will probably do another one...**

**Reviews, suggestions and requests are always appreciated. I think I may get another update in by the end of the week!**

* * *

"Lisa, have you seen my leave-in conditioner?"

Lisa looked up from her magazine, glancing at Rose, who stood in front of her with damp golden locks dripping onto his white shirt, and rolled her eyes.

"No, I haven't seen your ridiculously expensive and pointless conditioner. Now leave me alone." She raised the magazine up to her face again, blocking Rose from her view.

He stood there for a moment, and then chuckled, walking behind Lisa and reaching out to gently run a hand through her hair.

"I must say, the texture of your hair has much improved… Lisa."

Lisa did not look up, but frowned. "Okay, you caught me. I used your conditioner. It's sitting in my room. Go away."

Rose smiled. "You could've just asked." His hand trailed down to the base of her neck, lightly running a finger down her braid, before stepping back and leaving her to her reading.

"I'll leave it in the bathroom if you want to use it again," Rose added as he made his way back to his room. He heard what he thought to be an appreciative grunt from the bespectacled pervert, and smiled to himself.


	27. Peaceful when Asleep

**Yay for updates! I seriously have no more ideas for these drabbles. I know there are probably still a few requests/suggestions I haven't gotten to, and I'll probably do those, and then I think I may lay these drabbles to rest. *sniff*  
**

**Reviews are appreciated~**

* * *

The sound of static woke her from her sleep. Hiyori's eyes slowly drifted open, coming to rest on the reason of the erratic noise disturbing her—the TV sitting innocently in front of the couch.

She was too comfortable to reach for the remote and silence the offending object, and that's when she realized her head was resting against what must be someone's arm.

Yes. A rather thin arm and it belonged to someone who was snoring in a very familiar way. Wait a minute…

Hiyori jumped up and turned to glare at Shinji, who was still sleeping, oblivious, on the couch. After a moment of debating whether or not to give him a painful wake up, her gaze softened. He wasn't so bad when he was sleeping, she decided.

A moment's thought later, after the television was turned off and the warehouse was completely silent, she sat back down on the faded couch next to him, closing her eyes resting her head against his arm once more.


End file.
